I turn to see Chaos standing with Willa at his side. He’s grinning at Hayes in a challenge.
“You’re doing this right now?” I ask.
Hayes looks from Chaos to me. “Unless you don’t want me to.”
Do I want him to?
Hayes doesn’t strike me as the type of man to ask permission for anything, so that simple question catches me off guard. His green eyes watch me without judgment as he waits for my answer.
I glance at the ramp in the distance, and my heart is racing. There’s no way this is safe, and I don’t want him to get hurt, but it’s clear he wants to do this. One of the reasons I fell for Hayes was because he wasn’t scared to take a risk. Would I want that to change now?
Turning back to Hayes, I bite my lower lip. “Do it.”
His smile grows. “You sure?”
“Just don’t get killed. Charlie needs you.”I need you.
More than I can ever admit.
“Promise to not get killed.” He winks, walking away.
As he heads to the dirt bike, Willa slips out from under Chaos’s arm and moves to my side. She sticks close in a show of support.
“Wow, I think Soul would have actually not done it if you asked,” she says.
“I think so too.”
And that is so fucking hot for some reason.
Hayes’s muscles flex as he climbs onto the bike and slips his helmet overhead. He’s a god in the flesh. But thefact that he actually cares about what I have to say is the reason I can’t stop staring.
This far away, I can’t see his eyes. But when he turns his face to the crowd, I feel his gaze like a physical presence reaching out to me. I give him a thumbs-up, embarrassed the second I do it, so I shove my hand into my pocket.
“He’ll be fine,” Willa says, clearly noting my tension. “He does stuff like this all the time.”
“How reassuring.” My nose scrunches, and she laughs.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Steel stepping through the crowd. He finds a spot to stand between Havoc and Chaos, just as Chaos cups his hand on either side of his mouth and yells, “Try to look like you know what you’re doing.”
That makes Steel laugh.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile before.
My attention returns to Hayes, who is riding slow circles around the ramp and hill. He leans like he’s one with the dirt bike, which is different from his motorcycle. It’s slimmer, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. He rides it like he’s more comfortable on two wheels than he is walking.
On his final lap, he swings wide to start farther back. And then, he’s shooting for the ramp so fast my lungs turn to lead.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t tear my eyes off him.
Hayes glides up the ramp, and then he’s flying. It’s breathtaking.
Terrifying.
Seconds stretch as he’s suspended in the air, and it’s absolutely exhilarating. Only when his tires hit the dirt do I finally take in a breath. A rush thrums through my body. It pulses in my bones. Hammers through my blood.
I pull out of Willa’s grip to clap and cheer with everyone else. Hayes made it look so simple when I know it isn’t.
